The president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Abdoulaye Fall, has launched a strong criticism of Morocco and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following a dramatic and controversial conclusion to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Senegal edged the host nation 1–0 after extra time in the final, but the match was marred by tension late in regulation time when several Senegalese players briefly walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty.
Speaking at a ceremony on Saturday in remarks delivered in Wolof, Fall accused organisers of favouring the hosts and pointed to failures in accommodation, security and refereeing. In a video published by Senegalese outlet Seneweb, he suggested Morocco benefited from its influence within CAF.
“No country opposed Morocco the way Senegal did,” Fall said, noting that Moroccan football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is a vice-president of CAF. “Morocco controls CAF. Let’s tell the truth.”
Fall also raised concerns over the late appointment of match officials for the final, claiming Senegal were informed of the referee only on the eve of the match.
“We had to know who the referee for the match was two days before. We asked them who it would be and they told us they didn’t have any information yet. There are deadlines for possibly challenging a referee (but) it was the night before the match, at 10 p.m., that we were notified,” Fall said.
According to Fall, CAF explained that the delay was intended to shield the referee from pressure, but he argued it effectively denied Senegal the right to object.
The FSF president further criticised the accommodation arranged for the team in Rabat, after Senegal had been based in Tangier during earlier rounds. He described the hotel as unsuitable, citing noise and poor access.
“The Senegalese team could not stay in this hotel in the city centre with a lot of noise and no access road.”
Fall also claimed the team arrived in Rabat without adequate security and alleged that Moroccan officials attempted to force Senegal to train at the Mohamed VI Football Complex, the hosts’ state-of-the-art base.
“If we had gone there, they would have known everything about our team.” Fall said that after he threatened not to play the final, security was stepped up, the team were able to train in another stadium and a new hotel was found for them.
On the field, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed a late Senegal goal for a foul before, following another VAR review, awarding Morocco a penalty.
The decision sparked protests, with some Senegal players temporarily leaving the pitch and supporters attempting to invade the field, leading to a 15-minute stoppage. When play resumed, Brahim Díaz missed the spot kick, and Senegal went on to secure victory in extra time.
